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News August-September 2026
Mister Sturgis is now live, Sep 6
We promised this feature
a week ago...
Somewhere in the
workshop you see here is a treasure trove of knowledge
on Harley-Davidson's iconic Sturgis series. And the
bloke you see peering into or glaring at the
camera (we're not sure...) holds much of it in his
head.
Meet Kiwi and now
long-term Australian enthusiast Gordon Forrester
who built the logical bike Harley never did plus
his own and arguably better version of a factory
prototype.
We call
him Mister Sturgis – see the story.
Honda's electric subscription, Sep 3
Honda Australia has taken the unusual step of offering its new WN7 electric bike as a two-year rental, rather than a direct purchase, via the Carbar subscription service.
The price is Au$400 per month, and Carbar's arrangements typically cover normal running costs including servicing and insurance.
Honda is
inviting expressions of interest from
would-be customers, and says 50 machines will be
available.
The WN7 is being
sold outright in the UK and Europe. UK MCN
reports they cost Au$24,500 (US$17,500, GB£13,000,
€15,100). The
review is generally very positive.
Testing the motorcycle towing rig, Sep 2
At last! Our long-term
towing rig build, which we've been tracking through Unique Cars magazine
for what seems like eons, is on the road and today
hauled home the Kawasaki Z1A we acquired though Donington
Auctions.
The car, by the way, is a 1985 VK Holden Commodore Berlina with a fresh 355 stroker V8 and four-speed TH700R auto.
As for the Kawasaki,
the plan is to change the oil, make sure it's
running okay, and put a fresh set of exhaust pipes
on it. More to come...
Hailwood championship Honda for sale, Sep 2
Light and jewel-like, the Honda RC173 which took Mike Hailwood to victory in the 1966 350 road racing Grand Prix championship is up for sale.
Forgotten Kawasaki – Z750B twin, Sep 1
This is one of those
machines that we would love to own and suspect the
relationship may turn out to be short one.
Recognising the
immediate appeal of a then big and relatively slim
vertical twin motor, Kawasaki of course had a crack at
the idea in the 1970s.
We reckon the twin-cam
has enormous visual appeal. However it was not an
enduring success as a series.
See the
data and Cycle Magazine review via Motorcycle
Specs.
Plus the
contemporary Cycle World test from 1978.
Are there any
runners out there? Send us a pic and your
thoughts, please, so we can share them.
Mystery bit for the day, Sep 1
What is it? Start thinking Vincent – and it's one of
three projects in our pipeline.
See our latest Sunday Shed Wrap column.
Honda CB750-Four K5 – random brochure
for the day, Aug 28
Honda's CB750-Four was a
maturing product by 1975, around seven years after its
unveiling – when this ad for the K5 was launched. By
this time it was well and truly out-performed by
Kawasaki's Z1/Z900 series.
However it was still
selling solid numbers, with 35,000 made.
See our
profile of the series.
Rieju – new brand for the
day, Aug 28
New on the market is
this lightweight trail bike, luxuriating in the
name Rieju Adventura Rally 307.
The good
folk at Info Moto have the story.
Coming up – Mr Sturgis, Aug
28
Meet young Gordon
Forrester, a long-time Harley-Davidson fan who
qualifies as a world authority on the Sturgis
series from Milwaukee, and created a variant the
factory should have. We did a story with him a
little while ago and will drop it in next week.
Watch out for it...
Flashback: Triumph T300 Speed Triple,
Aug 27
Stylish, brutish and
grossly undervalued – Triumph's T300 series Speed
Triple has a lot of potential as a good buy.
Plus the
one that was in our shed.
Short-lived Superquadro, Aug 26
Ian Falloon on the Ducati Panigale
Superquadro: Although most of Ducati’s engine
designs generally enjoy a long production span,
throughout its history the maker has also
introduced engine designs that have only lasted a
few years.
See the story on his Substack page.
More Ducati stories on our
features page.
Bargains for the brave, Aug 25
We recently saw some
premium Italian motorcycles sell for very tempting
money via Donington Auctions in Australia.
Plus, a
couple of Kawasakis got our attention and one is
joining the shed.
Flashback: Motorcycle absurdity, Aug 23
Flashback: Spend
enough time with a particular model and you end
up going down the rabbit-hole of finding arcane
bits to support your toy, which somehow morphs
from being a mechanical mission to a lifestyle
choice.
Kat flap, Aug 21
Last month we mentioned
we had a Suzuki Katana 1100 heading our way – an
example of the 1990 70th Anniversary edition, tagged
as the Limited.
Mister B over at the
eponymous Brad's
Vintage Cycles today shot me a pic, announcing
it is now ready for delivery. It looks alright,
doesn't it? More to come on this one...
Meanwhile here's
our quick profile of the GSX1100S, with a
link to our previous example.
Nullarbor Gold, Aug 21
Today's highlight:
strolling into Fitzroy Motorcycles in Melbourne and
buying a new BSA Gold Star 650 in the premium Legacy
Edition colour scheme. Plus a set of the larger
saddlebags, in black.
The twist is that the
distributor, Leisk Moto Imports, is in Perth. So we've
arranged to have it registered in Victoria and I will
take delivery in Perth. Then ride it home via the
Nullabor...see our
latest Sunday Shed Wrap.
Kawasaki Z1A sale, Aug 20
There was a period there, during and
soon after Covid, when prices for early Kawasaki
Z1-on 900s went through the proverbial roof.
The situation has since
calmed and they have become more affordable.
An example is this
1974 Z1A (first-gen, second model) for which
Donington Auctions in Melbourne, Australia,
suggests a price range of Au$17-20,000
(US$12-14,000, GB£9-10,000, €10-12,000).
See our
brief video on the bike via YouTube.
Plus the
Classic Two Wheels period test portfolio.
Imola Ducati at auction, Aug 16
A machine billed as one
of seven V-twin racers sent by Ducati to compete in
the landmark 1972 Imola 200 race, where the factory
scored a 1-2 result, has recently been auctioned by
Mecum in its annual Monterey sale.
Bidding reached
Au$650,000 (US$460,000, GB£340,000, €398,000)
which was not enough to secure a sale.
Negotiations presumably continued behind the
scenes.
See the
Ian Falloon feature on the Imola Ducatis.
Honda project, Aug 16
Donington Auctions
has a project Honda CX650E on offer. See it
here.
Data and
period road test at Motorcycle Specs.
Flashback: Yamaha R1, Aug 14
A seminal modern
superbike we have yet to own, though we have
ridden several examples, is the first-gen Yamaha
R1.
And the Classic
Two Wheels file.
Race-bred Guzzi, Aug 14
Random brochure for the
day: Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000.
Plus the
one in our shed, complete with video.
That Kawasaki, Aug 12
USA comedian Jerry Wayne
Longmire provides a colourful video summary of the
1969 Kawasaki H1 500 Mach III. He suggests it was
about as stable as a paint-mixer and that few owners
survived long enough to see the second oil change.
See the H1
spec sheet from Motorcycle Specs.
And our
quick H2 profile, with links to more resources.
Laverda Jota auction, Aug 11
This 1977 Laverda Jota is up for sale via Donington Auctions.
Plus our
feature on the later SFC1000.
Info Moto podcast, Aug 11
The good folk at Info Moto have launched a new podcast, featuring Spannerman, Snag and Guido.
Ducati 916 special sauce, Aug 10
Donington Auctions in
Australia has this 1998 Ducati 916 SPS on offer, with
an estimate of Au$35-45,000 (US$25-32,000,
GB£18-24,000, €21-28,000). It's being sold with no
reserve.
This is the final year
of the 916 SPS, a series which has an extraordinary
motorsport record.
See Ian
Falloon's story on the foundation bike, the 916.
Moped mayhem – Puch, Aug 9
We're in the 1970s and
German marque Puch, aka Steyr-Puch, has launched the
wonderfully-named Monza.
Pitched at the then
burgeoning European teenager market, the 48.8cc
two-stroke engine claimed 5.2hp at a screaming
7400rpm in stock form and was matched to a
four-speed transmission. Top speed was around
80km/h (50mph) stock and more like 100km/h (60mph)
once your friendly neighborhood shop gave it a
tune-up.
Several versions with different model names were
launched.
See the Puchshop
magazine website.
Speaking of little two-strokes, see the Suzuki
TS185ER that was in our shed.
Norton reviews, Aug 7
Norton's premium V4 Manx
R is now out in the wild and we're starting to see
some reviews.
Among them is this
piece from Motorcycle News in the UK
about the premium Signature version, which is
generally positive, but with some reservations.
A key one is about price, which is a hefty Au$74,000 (US$52,000, GB£38,750, €45,200). That seems high, even in such elevated sports bike territory.
Meanwhile Richard Hammond, of Top Gear fame, has also thrown a leg over one. His conclusion is cheerful, making the point: "People are still making wonderful, exciting and desirable things. And that’s to be celebrated." Amen to that sentiment.
See our classic
Norton Commando profile.
Classic motorcycle predictions, Aug 7
Today we tripped over a
gem of a story, out of the March 1978 edition of USA
mag Cycle Illustrated, predicting which recent
exotic Euro models would become a mid-range
collectable. Yep, someone was discussing this 48 years
ago.
Top of the list were the
Ducati 750 Sport and GT of the era, followed by the
Moto Guzzi V7 Sport. There were a few others and the
selection still works today.
We've scanned the story
and loaded it online as a PDF. See it here.
We have stories on a few
of the machines mentioned:
Oh, and look out for
the wonderful back-cover ad promoting a mail-order
motorcycle mechanic course which promises wealth
and lots of interest from girls...
Flashback: Barn Built Buell, Aug 4
Brought
here in 1990, this 1989 Buell RR 1200
Battletwin is an ultra-rare find in
Australia. And rare anywhere in the world
as a running example.
Cool change coming, Aug 4
One of the many things
that needs to happen with the liquid-cooled members of
the home fleet (circa 25-ish motorcycles), is to walk
around with a spanner, a bucket and a vat of fresh
coolant.
We like this back-to-basics video from Delboy in the UK for making it simple and offering some options.
There are several
targets in our shed, including Honda, Suzuki,
Kawasaki, Ducati, MV Agusta and Triumph. See the fleet
page.
See our
Hayabusa resources page.
***
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